Browsing: Federal

The federal environment department has released emissions data from almost 4,000 facilities across Australia. Emissions of benzene plunged 38%, but emissions of fine particles rose 18% and formaldeyde emissions were up 9%, the latest National Pollutant Inventory results shows.

Productivity Commission chief Gary Banks says the Mandatory Renewable Energy Target (MRET) scheme could stymie least-cost abatement under an emissionst trading regime, just days after the Garnaut review said a strong trading scheme would weaken the case for MRET.

• GM crops an export boon, says ABARE
  
• Auto industry review seeks feedback on travel-based taxes
  
• Deloitte to advise on NT's climate policy
  
• South Australia to introduce new water heater standards
  
• Victorian regulator proposes regional water price increases

Australian companies should ready themselves for imminent "major change" in corporate liability for managing and disclosing climate change risks, according to Freehills partner John Taberner.



Class actions could emerge on grounds such as failure by a company to adequately anticipate foreseeable regulatory changes, Taberner says. And there is a growing view that the Corporations Act requires businesses to disclose the effects on their activities of climate change and climate change policies.

• James Hansen's open letter to Rudd: 'no more coal without sequestration'
  
• Sustainability committee to report to Rudd, as audit office looks at green procurement
  
• Rudd's sustainability A to W: summit panel members announced
  
• Majority of capital city residents take part in Earth Hour

• Federal Court rejects EPBC Act challenge to Port Phillip dredging
  
• Garnaut looks forward to 'turning point'
  
• Online Clean Development Mechanism rulebook launched
  
• Productivity Commission calls for urban water review
  
• Supermarket chain supports bag levy

• Turnbull warns Rudd on permit auction revenue
  
• Australia to accept PCB-contaminated waste from Ok Tedi
  
• Offset providers guide updated
  
• NSW tribunal rejects bid to fold liquid waste levy into Sydney Water charges

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and state and territory leaders will finalise a comprehensive climate framework in October, yesterday's COAG meeting agreed.



COAG also set out a timetable for reform of environmental approval and assessment processes, endorsed a memorandum of understanding on Murray-Darling Basin management as a precursor to an intergovernmental agreement and agreed to look for ways to ease the regulatory burden on oil and gas exploration and production companies.

• Federal oil spill bill goes before parliament
  
• Senate committee to investigate waste management, CDL
  
• WWF tells Victorian government CCS demonstration projects warrant special treatment

The Rudd government should specify four possible abatement trajectories, says professor Ross Garnaut's much-anticipated emissions trading discussion paper, released this afternoon.



And it should put Australia on the easiest of these trajectories, unless or until other countries agree to measures that would warrant Australia taking a tougher approach, he says.